Turn Around
by Shadow Mustang
Summary: Alternate events... Please let me know if you want to read more.


**Turn Around:**

**Chapter 1: The Way Things Go...**

Riza Hawkeye was your normal sixteen year old girl... She went to school, came home and helped her dad with the family business and went places with her friends. She was attractive, long blonde hair, light brown eyes that almost looked golden... And her friends were constantly after her to get a boyfriend. Somehow Riza just never wanted one, not because she didn't like guys but just that she didn't feel that way toward the ones around her at the time. That was how Riza found herself sitting in a bar with her friends.

"I heard there are a load of military guys here on leave tonight." A girl named Megan whispered excitedly as the four sat at a table. She smiled. "Too bad they aren't here in uniform."

"I don't know, my mom always said that military boys don't settle down." Put in another girl name Sherry as she pushed her glasses up higher.

"But a few dances won't hurt." The last grinned and poked Riza. Her name was Tina. "And Riza here should go dance with someone."

"My thoughts exactly." They all turned to find a young man with black eyes and dark hair standing right behind Riza's chair. He smiled in a cocky way as he held out his hand.

"My name is Roy Mustang and I was wondering if I may have a dance, miss?"

"Oh, if she wont I will." Muttered Megan as Roy waited for a response. Riza nodded and stood. Roy grinned and winked to the other three as he led her off to dance.

"So, what's your name?" He asked as they danced to a slow song.

"Riza Hawkeye." She responded quietly as she looked up to meet his black eyed gaze. "Are you actually a military guy?"

"Second Lieutenant Roy Mustang, nineteen years old and just out of the academy." He winked. "I'm afraid I don't have any battle scars to show pretty girls yet."

After they danced Roy returned Riza to her friends and walked back over to a table where his friend Meas Hughes sat with a drink in hand. Meas smiled and raised his glass to Mustang.

"Not going to try for a one night stand this time?"

"I'll try and fail if I do." Roy said as he sat down and grabbed his abandoned drink. He glanced back toward the sixteen year old and her friends with an odd expression. "Besides

Meas, she's not the type to do that to."

"Are you becoming fond old buddy?" Meas looked excited as Roy sighed. "You should write to her, you never know when you'll find the girl of your dreams."

"Meas, you're making too much out of this."

"Sure."

Riza returned to the bar with her friends all week, and each night Mustang was there and asked her to dance. They talked a little and Riza started to wonder about him, and the fact that he seemed to act different toward her friends... Not more charming or anything of the sort, just different somehow. On Saturday night Mustang wasn't there but his friend was.

"Hi there, Riza right?" He smiled when she nodded and held out his hand to shake. "Names Meas Hughes."

"Hello Meas." She smiled as he took a seat with herself and her friends that night.

"Roy couldn't come; he was given extra duty for something I can't explain." Meas looked a little sad as he turned toward Riza again. "Actually he asked me to tell you he said good-bye, since tomorrow we are both leaving for our stations... And for his sake I was hoping I could get your address to write to. To be honest I've never met a girl Roy wouldn't try to get into bed before so there must be something special about you."

"Here." Riza turned red both from Meas' little speech and from the fact that Megan had written her address and handed it to the man before Riza could even answer. Meas smiled and nodded his thanks to Megan.

"Well girls, I hate to say it but I have to go get some sleep." He stood and waved over a guy who served the tables then handed him a rather large bill. "This is for the ladies' drinks."

Riza was walking quietly home that night, her friends all already home as she lived the furthest from the little bar. She passed a dark alley with out paying much attention, until a pair of arms shot out and grabbed her. She would have let out a scream but a hand covered her mouth. Someone shoved her to the ground and Riza was dazed as she met the pavement. She heard a gruff male voice and after that she wished she'd just passed out so she didn't have to remember anything.

Roy cursed himself as he shuffled around the dark streets. He had made a pass at a higher rank's daughter with out knowing and it cost him his last night of leave. Now as he walked toward the train station about two hours early he wished he could have gone to the bar with Meas. His friend had dropped by just before his own predawn train and given Roy an address.

"Write to her." Meas had instructed before he left. Roy fingered the paper in the pocket of his uniform again and shook his head. He still couldn't believe Meas asked for her address... His thoughts were interrupted by a muffled sob from a near by alley. Roy paused and waited, hearing the quiet sound again. He set his bag down on the side walk and slowly approached the alley with a hand on his standard issue handgun. Roy wasn't the best shot in his class, but he was good enough for an alley.

"Oh god..." He breathed out as he found the source of the sobs and realized it was Riza. The sixteen year old was huddled in a corner, dirty and beaten with her clothes ripped. She shrunk away when he reached for her and that hurt him a little. "Riza, hey it's Roy. You remember me right?"

"Roy?" She looked at him and the bruise on her face made him want to kill someone. She still looked afraid and Roy nodded. She was quiet a moment, seeming to decide if she could trust him or not. After a moment she whispered to him. "Please take me home."

"Of course, Riza." He took his trench coat off and placed it around her shoulders as he helped her up. She was still afraid but it seemed she couldn't stand on her own so Roy supported her all the way back to her house. He rang the doorbell and worried about Riza as she shivered next to him. The door finally opened and an older man dropped his pipe at the sight.

"Riza!" He looked at Mustang as they helped her into the house and got her to a couch. He seemed to gauge the man in the uniform until Riza spoke.

"He found me and got me home, daddy." Riza whispered as she curled into a ball. Her father gave a sigh and thanked him before running off to call the hospital. Roy looked up at a clock and realized he now had less than an hour until his train, and how unimportant that seemed.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked as he knelt next to the couch. He was shocked to see those golden eyes so full of tears but still trying to hold them back. "Hey, it's okay to let it out you know."

Riza shook her head and curled more into a ball and he sighed. He gently touched her hair and only realized when she flinched that it wasn't a good idea. With a sigh he thought over things as he with drew his hand. He stood and walked into the kitchen where Mr. Hawkeye was just getting off the phone. He explained that he had to leave and told him everything about where he'd found Riza. The older man thanked him and led him back to the door. As an afterthought Roy turned and walked back to the couch. Again he knelt and looked Riza in the eye.

"The guy who put his hands on you has got nothing to do with me." He started in as calm a voice as he could. "And I hope when you heal we can be friends, Riza."

With that said he smiled weakly at her and stood. He walked back to the door and bid her father good bye before all but running to the train. He left his bag by that alley; it held nothing but clothes and uniforms anyway. He knew he wasn't going to forget this town or that amazing young girl someone had treated so horribly. He itched to harm the man or men who'd done it but he neither knew who they were or had any way to find them.

'Please be alright after this Riza.' He thought as he reached the train just before the final boarding call. 'Please.'


End file.
